RIM-66 / RIM-67 Standard Missile - SM-1 / SM-2 / SM-3

The Navy's Standard Missile was a surface-to-surface and surface-to-air missile which came in two versions. The Standard Missile was produced in two major types, the SM-1 MR/SM-2 (medium range) and the SM-2 (extended range). The medium-range version had a range to beyond 10 miles while the extended-range version could reach out to 30 miles. The medium range model replaced the Tartar system while the extended range unit replaced Terrier and Talos. Standard was first fired at White Sands on Oct. 11, 1966.

Standard MR (RIM-66)

SM-1 Block 5 MR

SM-1 Block 6B

SM-2 Block 2 MR

SM-2 Block 3 MR

SM-2 Block 3A MR

SM-2 Block 3B

SM-2 Block 4

SM-2 Block 6 MR

Standard ER (RIM-67)

Standard Missile-2 Block IV

Standard Missile-2 Block IVA

The Standard Missile is one of the most reliable in the Navy's inventory. Used against missiles, aircraft and ships, it first came into the fleet more than a decade ago. It replaced Terrier and Tartar missiles and is part of the weapons suit of more than 100 Navy ships. The SM-2 (MR) is a medium range defense weapon for Ticonderoga-class AEGIS cruisers, Arleigh Burke-class AEGIS destroyers, California and Virginia-class nuclear cruisers and Kidd-class destroyers with NTU conversions. Oliver Hazard Perry-class frigates use the SM-1 MR.

Initially the Aegis had a Standard Missile that potentially could provide air defense for an area that was on the order of 25-plus miles. The Aegis, with the newer generation Standard Missile, can provide air defense for an area that has a radius of on the order of 75-plus miles. And the Aegis of the future and DD(X) with ERAM, the new missile, is going to defend an area that has a radius well over a hundred miles.

Standard Missile (SM) is the Navy's primary surface-to-air Fleet defense weapon and is widely deployed on Navy ships. It is the descendant of an earlier missile project known as "Bumblebee," which included Terrier, Tartar, Talos, and Typhon. The newer SM concept minimized compatibility changes and was modular in design for ease of upgrade. SM, one of the most reliable weapons in the Navy's inventory, began development in 1964, entered service in 1968, and has steadily evolved. The three main sub-types include SM-1, Standard ARM, and SM-2.